NFL Week 12: Player to Watch in Each Contest

With roughly one month left in the NFL season, the games in Week 12 will have huge ramifications for so many teams in the league.

As we get set for the Thanksgiving Day games, stars such as Calvin Johnson, Greg Olsen and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are expected to come up big as millions of Americans watch from home.

Sunday presents an intriguing slate of matchups as well, as the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks, and the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons are all set to duel it out that day.

For this list, we’ll look ahead at who might come out on top in Week 12, as well as which player on each team will be the key to victory.

Calvin Johnson

Although he’s been limited in practice this week because of a sore ankle, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported, Calvin Johnson should be good to go for the opening Thanksgiving Day game versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

Johnson has a history of coming up huge on Thanksgiving, as shown in the Fox Sports NFL highlights above. Last year, he set the all-time Thanksgiving touchdown record with his eighth TD in the game against the Chicago Bears.

The Eagles defense is coming off a blowout loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ranks No. 16 in the league in pass defense. Look for Johnson to be extremely active in this one.

Even if Sam Bradford sits because of shoulder and concussion issues, as Ian Rapoport reported, the Detroit Lions should be able to beat an Eagles team that has lost its last two contests.

Greg Olsen

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Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen has been one of Cam Newton’s favorite targets all season. While Newton has been putting up MVP-caliber numbers, Olsen has excelled with 718 yards so far.

Count on this lethal combo to be inspired on Thanksgiving Day versus the Dallas Cowboys (3-7), as the Panthers look to remain undefeated. While some experts have picked the Cowboys to stage an upset, this could be a blowout by Carolina.

Olsen is coming off a win versus the Washington Redskins in which he averaged 18 yards per catch and had one TD.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

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Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is currently tied for fifth in the National Football League in total tackles. The second-year player leads the Green Bay Packers in interceptions, with two, and also has one sack on the season.

While the performance of quarterback Aaron Rodgers will impact the matchup with the defensive-minded Chicago Bears tremendously, it will be up to Clinton-Dix and Co. to get him back on the field quickly.

At 3-2, the Bears have been formidable on the road this year. But facing this defense in a place such as Lambeau Field is different. After getting back on track versus the Vikings last week, the Packers should be able to keep it going with a win Thursday night.

Amari Cooper

As ESPN staff writer Bill Williamson opined, the Oakland Raiders figure to throw to wide receiver Amari Cooper way more in their upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Raiders offense was limited last time out versus the Lions, and Cooper only had one catch in the 18-13 loss. In order for this team to get out of a three-game losing streak, it needs to go to Cooper more inside the red zone. 

Oakland is 3-0 in games in which Cooper has had over 100 yards receiving. He's got plenty of moves, as evident in the NFL's video above. In 10 games played, the speedy receiver has four TDs.

Look for the Raiders to come out on top thanks to some renewed focus from Cooper and the strong arm of quarterback Derek Carr. If these two can connect more consistently, the Titans will have a tough time containing these breakout stars.

Marcus Peters

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Sunday’s matchup between the Buffalo Bills (5-5) and Kansas City Chiefs (5-5) has obvious ramifications for the AFC wild card but may not be as evenly matched as originally thought.

That’s because the Chiefs secondary has been on a roll the past few games. Rookie cornerback Marcus Peters has helped lead the charge, racking up 16 tackles in the last five games.

Week in, week out, Peters’ speed makes him an impact player to watch. He has a team-high four interceptions and one touchdown.

Look for Peters and the defense to continue the momentum gained from a 33-3 spanking of the San Diego Chargers last week by limiting the Bills both on the ground and in the air for a clutch victory.

Doug Martin

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Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is coming off one of the best games of his career in which he rushed for 235 yards from 27 carries against the Eagles.

With a longest run of 84 yards, the small, dynamic back was as prevalent in the game highlights as teammate Jameis Winston was.

Martin’s next challenge comes against a 5-5 Indianapolis Colts team that has been somewhat vulnerable to the rushing attack this season. The Colts defense has given up an average of 113.4 yards per game on the ground. 

While this figures to be a close one, the running game of both Martin and Winston will prove too much to handle for the Colts.

Eli Manning

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Can the New York Giants pull it together and secure a victory in the fourth quarter for once? On Sunday, they face off against an inconsistent Redskins team in Washington as they try to get over the .500 mark.

After throwing for 361 yards and two TDs in Week 10, and then resting during the bye week, a big player to watch in this one will be Eli Manning. The University of Mississippi product is having a great year and should be able to manage the offensive unit to a large enough lead in the second half.

Look for the Giants to come out firing in this one. After almost beating the undefeated Patriots last game, the Giants secondary also has some confidence heading into this matchup. In the end, Manning’s decisive passing in the red zone will carry them to victory on Sunday.

DeAndre Hopkins

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The Houston Texans have won three games in a row, including a statement victory over the then-undefeated Cincinnati Bengals. Last week, DeAndre Hopkins lined up against New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis and outplayed him for 118 yards and two TDs.

It will be interesting to see if he can repeat his performance this Sunday at home versus the New Orleans Saints. All signs point to yes, as Hopkins has been consistent throughout the year.

Look for Hopkins to be featured often and for the Texans offense to be too much for the Saints. The Texans could roll to their fourth straight victory and improve to 6-5.

Teddy Bridgewater

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The Vikings have been one of the surprise teams of the season, and a lot of that has to do with the play of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Yes, Adrian Peterson has already rushed for 1,006 yards, but Bridgewater has brought a certain stability that Minnesota has needed under center. In the loss versus the Packers, he showed some nice versatility by rushing for 43 yards, which is an added bonus.

Bridgewater has passed for over 200 yards five times this season and may be able to add to that this Sunday against a tough Falcons squad. This could come down to the final minutes, but the Vikings' double threat on offense should be just enough for the win.

Giovani Bernard

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Bengals running back Giovani Bernard broke out via the air Sunday night versus the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, he was Andy Dalton’s favorite target to pass to in that one, as he finished with 128 yards receiving.

Bernard’s value to coach Marvin Lewis is on the rise, and he should figure to get more plays this Sunday versus the 4-6 St. Louis Rams.

While Dalton loves to go to wide receiver A.J. Green, he knows there needs to be a balanced attack in place versus the improved Rams secondary. Bernard will contribute to that attack well, and the Bengals should rebound nicely in this one.

Allen Robinson

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping to improve to 4-2 at home this season as they prepare for Sunday’s contest with the struggling San Diego Chargers. One of their biggest offensive threats is wide receiver Allen Robinson, who is just 129 yards away from 1,000 receiving. 

Robinson has quickly become one of the most underrated wide receivers in the game. As ESPN’s Mike DiRocco pointed out, Robinson is in line to set the franchise record for receiving touchdowns.

The Chargers’ mediocre pass defense should be no match for Robinson and Co. San Diego is 0-4 on the road and has too many holes to be able to pull this one out.

Brandon Marshall

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Speaking of wide receivers close to 1,000 yards, Jets star Brandon Marshall has not disappointed this season. Currently at the 800-yard mark, Marshall also has seven TDs for what has turned out to be an inconsistent offensive unit. 

His team’s opponent Sunday, the Miami Dolphins, has also had an up-and-down season while trying to establish an identity on defense. Currently ranked in the middle of the pack in defensive passing yards allowed per game, the Dolphins will be busy trying to contain Marshall.

While running back Chris Ivory figures to get plenty of reps, look for the Jets to also get Marshall going early against his old team. A total team effort will result in a victory for the Jets in this AFC East showdown.

Carson Palmer

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Cardinals QB Carson Palmer’s league-leading 27 touchdowns are tough to ignore. For a team such as the San Francisco 49ers, which has been blown out multiple times this season, facing Palmer should seem a scary prospect. 

When these two teams met in Week 3, Arizona won 47-7. Palmer threw for 311 yards with 20 completions off 32 attempts.

Working off the momentum they gained versus the Bengals last time out during a tight game, expect Palmer and the Cardinals offense to roll over the 49ers in Week 12.

Lawrence Timmons

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The Steelers head into CenturyLink Field hoping to do all they can to disrupt Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Pittsburgh is 2-2 on the road and is counting on veteran Lawrence Timmons to get after the athletic Wilson. 

With 2.5 sacks and one interception already this season, Timmons could be key in this heavily anticipated matchup. In nine years in the league, Timmons has 30.5 career sacks.

Timmons currently leads the team in tackles, and it will be fun to watch him match up with the Seahawks offensive line. While this will be a close battle, the Steelers have been more consistent this year and will edge out the Seahawks.

Logan Ryan

The Patriots defense did an excellent job of limiting the Giants’ time of possession on November 15, with clutch stops in pressure situations. One of the stars of the unit is Logan Ryan, who leads the team in interceptions with four on the year, some of which appear in the NFL Films video above.

Last week, the defense kept it going versus the Bills, and Ryan finished with seven total tackles. He is a big player to watch in the game against the Denver Broncos Sunday because of the inexperience of QB Brock Osweiler. 

Ryan has emerged as a big leader on the team and, with an undefeated season on the line, should be very fired up on Sunday. The Patriots' poise may prove too much for a Denver team that has scuffled this month.

Javorius Allen

Baltimore Ravens rookie running back Javorius Allen is stepping into the starting role versus the Cleveland Browns following Justin Forsett’s season-ending injury last game.

He’s a player to watch not only because of the rare opportunity handed to him but because the Browns rank last in the league in average yards allowed per game on the ground.

The Browns have given up 1,388 total rushing yards this season. That fact alone should take some pressure off Allen, shown in the Football Only video above, as he looks for his first TD of the season.

In the end, the Browns defense won’t be able to match the offensive talent Baltimore possesses. Look for the Ravens to exploit a weak defensive line and pick up a victory.